So Moses said to the people, “This is a day to remember forever—the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the Lord has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand. (Exodus 13:3)

Read: Exodus 12:14-13:16, Matthew 20:29-21:22, Psalm 25:16-22, Proverbs 6:12-15

Relate: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

The year was 1865. The date… today. January 31. After weeks of backroom bargaining, calling in favors, and other wheeling and dealing that was all beautifully conveyed in a recent blockbuster hit, Lincoln finally managed congress to pass this thirteenth amendment to the Constitution. On this day, after decades of oppression and years of war, the slave was made free.

Of course it did not end there. They might technically be free…